Triple Birthday Week
by Emil Jacob
Summary: The birthdays of Asuna, Silica and Kirito in the year 2025, written as a celebration for the year 2018.
1. Asuna

A young girl woke up in the morning and checked her calendar.

"It's been 18 years since I was born."

30 September, 2025. Today was Asuna Yuuki's 18th birthday. 18 was such an important number in Japan, since it was the age that certified children as adults. Being an adult meant you had the freedom to take your own decisions. But for Asuna, this was not the case. Her mother, who was as strict as ever, had her future planned out for her, from the school she was going to, to her future partner. It had been 9 months since her "arranged" marriage with one of those partners, Nobuyuki Sugou. He had placed her in a living hell, at a birdcage in the top of World Tree in ALO. Ever since then, Asuna resented her parents, who went through with having Sugou without her consent. She had her eyes only on Kazuto Kirigaya, an ordinary high-schooler who was one year younger to her.

But today, Asuna decided that she would speak face-to-face with her mother. If there was ever a time in her life where she desired freedom, it would be her birthday. Her previous 15 years before the SAO incident have been empty to her. As a result of being brought up in a strict, well-mannered environment, she couldn't connect with others, and thus didn't have many friends. That all changed when she met Rika Shinozaki (Lisbeth) and Kazuto (Kirito) in SAO. Finding a friend and a lover in that disaster of a game was a blessing to her. So today, she decided she would celebrate her birthday with her friends from SAO who gave her life new meaning.

Asuna woke up and was ready to have breakfast.

"Go.. Good morning, Mother."

"Good morning, Asuna."

Her mother, Kyoko Yuuki, sat on the opposite end of the table. As usual, Asuna couldn't miss her cold eyes. However, she would then gather up the courage to say the following:

"…M…Mother?"

"Yes?"

"You know what today is, right?"

"Of course I do, Asuna. How could I ever forget?"

Those words may have appeared reassuring, but deep inside, Asuna felt they were empty. She then spoke up, letting her mother know her desire.

"I want to celebrate my birthday with my friends! Just this time. I've never had the chance to do so."

The air was stiff in the house. Asuna felt very tensed.

"Very well. But you must be back by 7 pm."

Asuna could barely contain her excitement. She had finished her breakfast and went off to school. As her classes were about to start, she met Rika and Ayano Keiko (Silica).

"Good morning, Liz, Silica-chan."

"Good morning, Asuna-san."

"Good morning, Asuna. Oh, did you see Kirito?"

"Kirito-kun? Oh, I've never seen him today. He didn't message me."

"Hmmm…. I sense a surprise."

"What are you talking about?"

"O… oh, it's nothing. Come on, classes are about to start."

Asuna went over to her English class. However, she could not care about her classes. She had never felt this way before. She always felt like a good student. But today was her birthday, and Kazuto, her boyfriend didn't bother to show up, let alone talk to her. Even Yui, her virtual 'daughter' from Aincrad, didn't speak to her. She was left alone and in the dark. All she wanted, was for someone to celebrate this auspicious day with her.

Then all of a sudden during lunchtime, she looked around and saw Kazuto. She was surprised then. She went to see him.

"Hey, Kirito-kun.", she said in a nice manner. "Do you remember what day it is today?"

"Hmmm? What day?"

Upon hearing this, Asuna broke. Her emotions were in a mess. She was angry, sad, and distressed at the same time. "He doesn't know my birthday?" was all she thought.

"Ki-ri-to-kun!"

"Ye… Yes ma'am?"

"Today's significance, remember?"

"Ummmmm…."

Just then, Rika and Keiko appeared.

"Hey, Asuna."

"Oh, hi."

"Ah, Kirito? I see some trouble spewing about."

"Wait, what?"

"Kirito, spill the beans right now. You better not make Asuna cry."

"Ok, ok. Sorry, Asuna. Yui, it's time."

With a gentle hug to her, Kazuto and Yui whisper the following words to Asuna:

" _Happy birthday."_

With this, Asuna felt elated. That initial anger at Kazuto turned to joy. Her happiness could not be described into simple words. She was about to kiss Kazuto, but Rika stopped him.

"Hold it right there, Asuna. This is not the time for that."

"Oh, come on." *pouting* "Fine. Say, why don't we go somewhere else?"

"Sure!", all of them said in unison.

When all of them left school, they tried to enter the best place they could find. They wanted to give Asuna the best time of her life. However, little did they know that Asuna was happy with all of them no matter where they would go. Eventually, they went over to a really good cafe, where they had an exotic cake slice.

At this point, Asuna was thoroughly enjoying every moment of this day. She understood what it was like to have wonderful friends, something she had missed her entire life. For all of these friends of hers to share the joy that she felt, she was very happy.

Afterwards, she wanted some alone time with Kazuto, the person with whom she spent two years inside Aincrad. She had taken him to a park near her home, which was vacant at the moment. They were sitting in a swing together, looking at the stars.

"Hey, Kirito-kun, do you remember our promise?"

"Oh, the one we made in Aincrad? Of course, we'd go and see a shooting star some time."

"Shooting star? That sounds nice, I wanna go."

"Sure thing, Yui."

They did a few swings together. Asuna was at her happiest at that moment, with the person she loved the most. However, all of that happiness was only short-lived. Eventually, she had returned to her home. She had greeted her mother and maid, but in some way, she still felt held down by her duties. All she wanted was just to have fun. She had friends that she long wished for, but her mother looked down on them. She had hoped that things would resolve between them, now that she was of the appropriate age.


	2. Silica

"Nyaaaaa…"

"U…ummmm…."

Keiko Ayano woke up to a beautiful morning.

It had almost been a year since she escaped from Sword Art Online. As the game's youngest player who went by the name Silica, she felt out of place. However, she soon befriended a dragon whom she named Pina, after her cat in real life. It was thanks to Pina that she had met a friend like Kazuto Kirigaya (Kirito) who helped her endure the tough survival environment that was SAO. Not only that, but due to her lack of siblings, she had looked up to Kazuto like an older brother, and eventually met all his other friends from Aincrad, and even his own sister. It was those memories which she cherished the most. She had no time to waste. She had to meet all those wonderful friends on this day, October 4th 2025, her birthday. She was already elated after attending Asuna's birthday, and wondered how her own will go.

As far as Keiko's family was concerned, their birthdays were a deciding factor for their names. Her father had named pieced together her birth date and month and named her after silicon, the 14th element of the periodic table.

She woke up to meet Pina the cat, who woke her up. "Pina, good morning. Today's my birthday. I'll be going to get something special, so watch this place, ok?" Pina responded with a simple "Nyan", which meant "yes" to her.

Keiko left her home and went out shopping for a wonderful present. She was looking for a memorable item that would treasure the bonds she had, and went over to an exquisite section. But then she bumped into a dark-haired girl with glasses.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, miss."

"No, it's alright."

"So, can I help you?"

"No, no need. Excuse me."

The mysterious girl tried to take her leave, but as soon as she did, Keiko caught a glimpse of her, which reminded her of her hero from Aincrad.

" _That girl, she looks just like Kirito-san. But her eyes…. It seems like she's troubled inside."_

Just then, she was patted on the back.

"Yo, Silica."

"Oh, sorry about th… Liz-san?"

Rika Shinozaki, who went by the online handle Lisbeth, one of Keiko's best friends, had wanted to meet her today, but she had no idea where she was, and only guessed where she would end up. Earlier, she had sent a message, but didn't receive any reply.

"Come on. I was expecting a reply from you."

"So… Sorry about that. But I was really too excited today so I didn't bother to check up."

* _Sighs*_ "You are hopeless, you know that?"

"Come on, Liz-san, don't tease me like that."

They finished their shopping, and then immediately went to Keiko's house. Rika was invited for a party there. As they entered the door, they greeted Keiko's grandfather, who had come to visit her along with her cousins.

"Hello, grandpa, this is Li… Rika-san, one of my best friends."

"Hello there".

They went up to the dining hall, where they had a really good meal. This was made especially for Keiko by her family.

"Wow, this is so good!"

"You can say that again."

Keiko had a really fun time in her home. Although Keiko enjoyed the present, she could not help but feel as though something was missing. She was missing Kazuto, Asuna, and all her other friends.

"By the way, where are Kirito-san and the others?"

"Oh, them? Well, I've told them about a party in ALO."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes, everyone will be there. And I told them that I had to be the one to give you the heads-up."

"Thanks, Liz-san."

Once they finished their business in the real world, they went and hooked up their Amuspheres.

"Link Start!"

They dived into a random, unknown location. Their destination: Agil's café in Yggdrasil Citty. There was a big surprise waiting for them there. Even though, she was in the game for 5 months, Silica could not fly. She had to rely on Liz and Pina to carry her all the way.

Once they arrived at the place they wanted, they were met with a big surprise.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SILICA!"

At that moment, a flair of applause was in the air. Silica was crying tears of joy. For the first time in her life, she felt happy to have friends. Although she was belittled as the little sister of the group, she didn't mind that. Everyone had dedicated this very important day to her.

There was a gigantic cake of the ALO variety. Agil and Asuna made it specifically for Silica, based on details from old Norse legend. Silica had picked the biggest slice. Afterwards, they had a big feast filled with meat from the monsters they excavated. Inside the VR world, they could eat as much as they wanted without actually feeling full. They used this to their advantage and ate to their hearts' content. Silica, especially, got the biggest share.

At the end of the day, there was a massive chanting, followed by many spells. It then illuminated to give a spectacle in the sky. Silica was quite happy upon seeing this.

"Wow, it's so pretty."

"Right? Everyone made this just for you."

The day ended on a high note, with everyone logging out at the same time. Rika said goodbye to Keiko and went over to her home. Keiko could not help but think about the wonderful day she had. It was a fun event that she had, filled with the wonderful friends that she had made from the castle of the sky. However, she feared her cousins would peep into this incident, which had been hidden from the general public, and thereby strain her relationship with her friends.


	3. Kirito

"Onii-chan! Wake up already!"

"Alright, alright."

Kazuto Kirigaya was in a semi-awake state. He knew that today was his birthday, yet he somehow could not feel the energy needed to be awake. He wondered why that was. It's as if each day was a passing thought to him, and that no matter how much he tried to care about his birthday, he just couldn't. But somewhere, in his subconscious, he didn't want to forget that moment. On his 10th birthday, he had learned a dark truth about his past; his name was "Kazuto Narusaka", and that his mother was actually his aunt. Ever since then, he had been left with an identity crisis, and chose to devote his life to computers instead of his "family". His birthday, instead of bringing the family together, ironically drove them apart. However, after the SAO incident, he chose to make amends with his family, and especially, his little sister, Suguha, who loved him so much.

"Hurry up and get out of bed already!"

Suguha had been preparing for this auspicious day. She had all her friends from her kendo club bring presents to Kazuto. She had initially tried to get something he would like, but she was racking her brain trying to come up with the perfect present, because while she wasn't as distant to Kazuto as she was before the SAO incident, she couldn't see what went through his head.

Now that it had come to this, Kazuto was wondering what to do, until a brainwave hit him. He had a soft giggle to himself.

"What's the matter, Onii-chan?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. See you, Sugu."

"O… Ok."

Kazuto left his room.

" _What was that about?"_

Kazuto went over to his school, the SAO survivor school. To him, the game of Sword Art Online was an emotional roller coaster. He had to fight to survive, however, eventually he learnt to find peace within the game. His relationship with Asuna Yuuki, had changed everything for him. He had lived most of his life in the net. For him to meet someone like her, was unthinkable for him. And that's when he realized that the virtual world was something more than what he was.

When the creator of SAO, Kayaba Akihiko, had taken him up to witness the destruction of the floating castle of Aincrad, Kazuto felt mixed emotions. On one hand, he could not forgive Kayaba for what he did. On the other, he was fascinated by the virtual world he created. Upon looking at the endless possibilities, Kazuto took it upon himself to connect the virtual world with the real world.

Today, when he went to school, he was met with the biggest surprise. He was greeted by his friends Asuna, Rika and Keiko, but they were in for a direct approach.

"Hey look, the special guest has arrived today."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

At this moment, they were left in complete shock.

" _Can it be? Has Kirito forgotten about his own birthday?"_

Just then, Asuna chimed in.

" _No, it's not that simple. Kirito-kun is playing us."_

Asuna, along with her virtual daughter Yui, had made a really complex plan, a plan to trick Kazuto.

Meanwhile, Kazuto had been working on his mechatronics and his project, a way to get Yui into the real world, a bicommunications probe. For him, it was a blessing to have a daughter like her. She was his link between the real world and virtual world. She was a super-powerful AI with the ability to move within the network. But she didn't have a way to experience the real world. Kazuto hoped that this recent project of his would provide Yui with a way.

After school today, Kazuto got together with his friends.

"Hello, Kirito-kun."

"Hello, everyone."

"So, have you decided on where to go together?"

"Of course, we'll hang out in ALO in a few hours."

Asuna pouted a little in reaction to this, but it was mainly a setback. No matter what Kazuto chose, Asuna was sure to anticipate it.

"Ok, sure, then I'll go ahead and tell everyone."

He then went home and put on his Amusphere.

"LINK START!"

Kirito went off to ALO to do a quest of his own. He went into a secret area that he had kept secret from all his friends. There was a mini-boss in Floor 18 that was said to give him a rare and valuable item. He defeated him and got the "Item of Friendship". For Kirito, having wonderful friends like the one made during SAO was a blessing for him. He went through hardships like losing some of the people he cared about. But in all of those trials, he found very few people that he could cherish. As he pondered on this item, he decided that he should show it to his friends who had been with him through thick and thin.

Kirito went over to his residence in Yggdrasil City. However, he found the place to be eerily quiet. He expected this, however and went to plan a new countermeasure. However, his perpetrator had thought ten steps ahead. Pretty soon, the group had appeared in front of him, using the Concealment spell.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRITO!"

Kirito was taken aback by this. However, he quickly composed himself.

"Care to explain?"

"Sure, Papa. You see, me and Mama had wanted to make sure you would get the biggest surprise."

"Exactly, Kirito-kun. I had to get back at you no matter what."

"Well, you were kind of mean, though."

*Pouting* "Well, you tried to do the same thing on my birthday. By the way, Kirito-kun, why did you want to make your party here?"

"Oh, well it's because I wanted to spend time in the virtual world that I love so much. And besides, I have found this item."

"Where did you get that?"

"It's called the Item of Friendship. I wanted to share it with all of you."

"Hmm, this item requires two or more people to use it."

"Well, let's give it a try, shall we?"

Everyone tried to use it, and once they did, they got each other's most favorite thing. In a way, it was like a present.

"Awesome, Onii-Chan! Did you know that item does?"

"Nope, not a clue."

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Agil had come in with a big feast and a big cake, made according to Kirito's desire.

"Hmm, this cake, don't tell me, you planned this too, Kirito?"

"Yep, I had met with Agil a few days ago in Dicey Café. I asked him to prepare a cake in ALO."

"Is that true?"

"Well, sort of. Though I was kinda expecting he'd do it in the real world though."

"That doesn't matter. Let's dig in."

Everyone had eaten to their heart's content. After they had their fill, Kirito flew over to the sky. The others followed suit. They flew as high as the system could take them, to the skies. Here, they could see the wonderful world of Alfheim Online in all its glory. The experience was breathlessly captivating for them. Afterwards, they all went back down and logged out.

Kazuto had finally realized what fun a birthday was with friends, something that he'd been lacking all his life. He swore to cherish these memories for all time.


End file.
